If there is one lesson to be learned from the New Orleans Saints' 41-0 bashing of the Buccaneers on Sunday it is this: Do not doubt Drew. Never, ever question the bona fides of the greatest Saint ever.

Just when the notion crosses your mind that Drew Brees' skills might be declining ever so slightly, he authors a performance worthy of a standing ovation and makes you realize the folly of your ways.
With Brees on the trigger, there are going to be nights like his Pick-5 debacle in Atlanta or his inconsistent effort in New Jersey. When you sling the rock as often as the Saints do, eventually a few windows will be broken.

Stuff happens. It's the NFL. These guys are good.

Fortune, though, favors the bold. And few quarterbacks have ever been as consistently bold as Brees.

Brees' final numbers Sunday were stupendous. He threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions.

It was his best, most efficient performance of the season. He's had games with as many touchdowns but those efforts were tarnished by interceptions. He's had games with as few interceptions but not as many touchdowns.

His 124.6 passer efficiency rating could have been higher if his receivers had held on to a few more balls. Of his 13 incomplete passes, about half could be attributed to drops or intentional throwaways to avoid sacks.

"How many times have we seen it? How many times have we been a part of it?" Saints interim coach Joe Vitt said.

It's true. Brees is good for a handful of these performances a season. It's just been awhile since he's done it at home. The last time Brees threw for this many yards with this many touchdowns and this few interceptions was his 363-yard, four-touchdown, zero-interception masterpiece against the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants last season.

"He's truly remarkable," Vitt said. "The only thing that overshadows his character is his ability to play this game."

Brees entered Sunday's game mired in a three-game funk the likes of which we haven't seen since the 0-4 start of 2007. In losses to the 49ers, Falcons and Giants, Brees threw only four touchdowns and was intercepted nine times. His combined passer rating during that span was a lowly 62.6. It was the worst three-game stretch of his 12-year career.

But that didn't stop Brees from coming out firing against Tampa Bay. He rained touchdowns and big plays all over the Bucs' overmatched secondary for three quarters before taking a seat midway through the fourth. He completed passes to nine players. He threw touchdown passes to four guys.

New Orleans Saints Drew Brees: 'We'll stay aggressive'
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees says in his post-game press conference following the 41-0 win over the Tampa Bay Bucs that they will stay true to their aggressive nature on offense, win or lose.

"Every time we step on the field, we think about playing aggressive, scoring points, throwing the ball, running the ball, spreading it around, formationing people to death, multiple personnel groups, throwing it up and letting guys go make the play," Brees said. "We've done that very effectively (over the years). It's easy to want to become conservative, but that can't happen."

Brees' performance brought to mind the famous quote from one of sport's most lethal hit men: Michael Jordan. "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

Brees obviously lives by a similar philosophy on the football field.

"He'll never stop being aggressive," backup quarterback Chase Daniel said. "That's who he is, and that's what makes him a future Hall of Famer."

Truth be told, Brees needed only one touchdown pass against the Bucs. The Saints defense played by far its best game of the season. In recording the club's first shutout in 17 years, the defense showed it is far from a lost cause. In fact, there might be reason for optimism as young defenders like Junior Galette, Cam Jordan and Isa Abdul-Quddus blossom before our eyes.

Yes, it was only one game. True, it came against a Bucs squad that appeared to have packed its bags for the offseason. Regardless, it was something to build upon for next season.

"We were a great team today," receiver Lance Moore said. "We haven't been so great the past three weeks."

Moore could have said the same about Brees. As bad as he was the previous three weeks, he was brilliant on this day. His stellar effort was a timely reminder of his immense talent. Suddenly his $100 million contract is not an issue with frustrated fans.

To paraphrase Vitt, jump off the Brees bandwagon at your own peril. If you do, you're making a mistake.

Thanks for the reminder. Its been a rough season for sure but to Brees' credit, his competitive fire never goes out.

aintasinner

12-17-2012 07:17 AM

Re: Drew Brees reminds us all of his brilliance

This is what I have been saying when fans post threads questioning whether we should throw games to get draft picks or if we believe Drew would throw games on purpose. He is a competitor and competitors don't quit. He doesn't quit on us and we should never quit on him. The day will come when he loses a step but I hope that day isn't any time soon. I believe that he will handle that day with class and hopefully, the fans will, too.

TheOak

12-17-2012 07:20 AM

Re: Drew Brees reminds us all of his brilliance

Some of us do not need a reminder as to how good Drew Brees is.

Mardigras9

12-17-2012 09:29 AM

Re: Drew Brees reminds us all of his brilliance

We all know how good he is when he has a little time and is not trying to erase a three TD deficit, no surprise with his performance.